Distributing-frame for electric conductors



2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

(N0 Model.

Patented June 9,1891.

* fit [72275071 I I g,

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

A. S. HIBBARD.

DISTRIBUTING FRAME FOR ELECTRIC GONDUOTORS.

Patented June 9,1891

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFI ANGUS S. IIIBBARD, OF MORRISTO'WN, NElV JERSEY, ASSTGNOR. TO 'll-ll AMERICAN TELEPHONE AND TELEGRAPH COMPANY, OF NEIY YORK.

DISTRIBUTING-FRAME FOR ELECTRIC CONDUCTORSF SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 453,863, dated June 9, 1891.

Application filed February 28,1891- Serial No. 383,25d. (No model.) i

To all whom it may concern: one of the switch-board connections on the Be it known that I, ANGUS S. IIIBBARD, reother side on the. same or on different horisiding at Morristown,in the county of Morris zontal and vertical planes. lly the construc- 55 and State of New Jersey, have invented certion adopted openings are provided between t-ain Improvements in 'Distribntirig-Frames the bars of the frame, through which the i nfor Electric Conductors, of which the followtel-connecting wires are led from the connecing is a specification. tions on one side to those on iheother. The

In telephone-exchanges it is desirable toinopenings on one side are clear from the top 60 terpose between the main cables leading to to the bottom of the frame, constituting wide [0 the street and the office-cables leading to the "ertical channels, and on the other side are switch-board spring-jacks some means whereclear from end to end -ot the frame, constiby the several lines may readily be distribtuting horizontal channels, and by the said uted at will in any desired way among the construction the said wires are first led in' a 65 switch-boards. Prior to my invention this vertical direction up or down, as required,

had been done, but'without order, and in the until the horizontal plane of the desired use of modes which involved much crossing of switch-connection is reached, and are then wires andmnch confusion, for the connectingpassed over to the inner side and led through wires, being run straight or diagonally from the horizontal channel on the said plane 10 70 the cable-head to the switch-board terminal, the right or left, as the case may be, until the 20. were inextricably interlaced and otherwise inrequired switch-board connection is reached. volvcd, so that when it became necessary to In the drawings which illustrate and form change or withdraw any of the interconnecta part of this specification, Figure 1 is an end ing-wires-for redistribution, testing, or for elevation of my distributingframe, indicat 75 any purpose whatever this could only be acing the connections withthc switch-board and complished with great difficulty and by the main cable-heads. Fig. 2 is a side clcyation employment of considerable force. To obof the said distributing-frame. Fig. 3 is a viate these defects and to provide a distributplan top view thereof. Fig. 4c is a horizontal ing board or frame whereby the interconnectsection on the line a of Fig. 5 of a portion 80 'ing-wires maybe run orwithdrawn withgrcat of the frame. Fig. 5 is ancnd view on an facility, whereby work among the wires is enlarged scale. Figo'isasidc view of a pormade easy, and whereby redistribution or tion of the frame, showing two of the conchange of any kind can be accomplished with nection strips on an enlarged scale. Fig. 7 neatness and expedition is the object of my isadetailshowing two of the said connections. 8; invention. In attaining this object I provide Fig. 8 is a detail giving a horizontal section a'distributing board or frame located at any of one of the saidv connections and the mode convenient point between the main cableof attaching the wires thereto, and Fig. 9 inheads and the operating switch-board and dieates the mode of fanning out the several connected with each by means of intermepairs of cable-condnctors adopted on both diate cables which lead from the main cablesides of the frame.

40 heads to permanent connections at one side The frame A is preferably mounted upon a of the distribnting-lrame, and which lead from hollow platform a, through which it is reached the operating switch board to permanent conby the cables from both sides. Arranged nections on the other side of the said frame. through its longitudinal center, at suitable 95 This fraineis anopen-work or skeleton str uctdistances apart, are strong vertical bars or ure of metal rods or pipes, whereby lightpipes h, which areintcrsected longitudinally ness as well as strength is secured, and the in horizontal planes by similar bars or pipes T several permanent connections are mounted I and also by transverse pipes or bars i, these upon non-conducting strips secured to the also being in horizontal planes, which may 10o ends of each vertical series or horizontal bars correspond to the planes of the pipes f. or pipes crossing the frame from side to side. As already stated, the structure may be In the frame any one of the circuits enteringmade either of pipes orsolid bars; but I prefrom the line side may be connected to any fer for the main parts of the framework pipes r tubes, which are by far the lighter .andof sufficient strength, and although for the trans-.- verse pieces,which are of smaller cross-section, bars are often employed,--th e term: pipes will alone, for the avoidance of verbiage,be hereinafter used. They may be, constructed of any suitable metal or alloy; but iron is preferred for obvious reasons. The central systern, composed of its several series. of uprights and longitudinal and transverse pipes, may be regarded as the backbone of the frame. At a suitable distanceto one side of the. center a series of horizontal pipes g intersect with the transverse" pipes i, and at asuitable distance to the other side a series of vertical pipes h intersect the said. transverse pipes t in the same way,and the said transversepipes are thus divided into four sectionsz' 2' i3.

' If desired, the vertical system of pipes It may be intersected by a'longitudinal horizontal series e, and the horizontal system g on the other side of the frame mayinQlikeQmanner be intersected by a corresponding series ofvertical pipes. I have shown this arrangement on the switch-board side of the framawhere it is of more utility than it wouldbe'on the cable-head side. The result of thearrangement is that two series of channels bounded onall sides by periodicqpipes are formed" One of these,

one on each'side of the center. series of channels m, bounded by the pipes f,- g, and i, is vertical, as indicated especially in Fig. 3, while the channels 0 of the other se ries, bounded by the pipesja, h, and i, are,

horizontal and longitudinahtheir ends being indicated-in Fig. -1. These channels are technically termed; respectively, the fall and the run. A further-result is that two other series of vertical ehannels,.one'on each side of the frame, are fdrmed. These are inelosed onthree sides only, ,beingoutwardly; open.- .Those which are designated as k are bounded rearwardly by the Pipes 6 and h and on their two sides by the end sections xi ofihe two ad jacent transverse pipes i, while those marked on the opposite side .of the frame are, as

shown, bounded rearwardl y by thelongitudinal pipes and g on their two sides by the opposite e'ndsections i pipes. Within the verticalchanncl the intermediate cables 0*,leading from the cable heads H of the mainlinccables 0 are run, the end of each overlapping all that terminate below it, as clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 5.

of. the said transverse Inthe same manner thejcables from the.

. Fig. Qindicates the mode in whichthe individual conductors r 1" emerge from the cable'containi-ng them and are branched to their respective connections. Y v v .No arbitrary construction or arrangement is required; but it is convenient in practice to provide that the number of conductors in thecables C shall be a sub-m ultiple of thenumher in the main cables 0, and, if desired, the switch-board cables C may comprise a still smaller numben.v a

' At each side of the frame is aseries of vertical strips d, of non-conducting material. Each of these -crosses and is secured to the ends of all the transverse pipesz' in the same vertical plane and overlaps the same on both sides, forming by one of the wings thereof a flange for keeping the cable layers in place.

By examining the drawings it willbe seen that the said cables only occupy one side of the cross-pipes z and that they only occupya small portion of the spaces It and j.

Figs, 6, 7, and 8 more particularly show the non-conducting strips d and the fixed eon nection-pieces p and 12', mounted thereon; Of course any'desired form of connection pieces, may be adopted. The style shown is tound convenient in practice and consists of a -pair of metallic plates of semi-hexagonal form,

each secured in line with its mate by a screw s and ..a steady-pin s' to the non-conductingstrip (Z, and constituting practically aflat central plate withtwo outwardly projecting and In the two wires of'a circuit entering or leaving a cable t t represent their insulatingvcovering, and w the wire itself bared. The bared portions -20 pass through" flaring lugs it;

the nonconducting strip,'and are attached by riveting or soldering, or both, to the outer I lugs 21. of the two connection-platesof a pair; The connections on one side of the frame are nnitedwith their corresponding connections on the other sides by suitable insulated wires W, which are secured .to the connections'on the cable-head side of the frame, pass through the interior of the said frame, and,reaching the connections on the-switch-board side, are

united to them. 'For' this purpose the nonconducting strips (1- have holesr, one between the two platesji and 1) of each pair of fixed connections. The two insulated pass through the said hole, and 'are secured by'soldering or otherwise to the inner of} I have endeavored to showthe mode in which the insulatedwires ll traverse the interior of the frame in the several dra'wf ings, and a clear idea maybe obtained thereof by considering Figs. 1 and 2 together. Leaving their permanent connection on the cable-" the plates 1).

head side, they pass through the hole 11*, and,

. reaching the nearest horizontal longitudinal they pass partly round and their in a substantiallyvertical pipe or stanchion-g, the same,

wires of-any' pair, arriving at or leaving any connection,"

direction upward or downward, as indicated ate, as the case may be, until the horizontal plane is reached on which is located the permanent connection on the switch-board side of the frame. This may, however, be some distance in one direction or the other horizontally from the initial vertical run of said wire. Therefore after being brought to the proper level bybeingdrawn, as .2, through the vertical channel m,the wire then crosses the frame into the horizontal channel 0, which, as at y, it traverses until the proper non-conducting strip (Z is reached. The wire \V is then bent round the proper vertical tube h, which. also serves as a stanchion, and led through the proper hole 2; in said non-conducting strip to its connection with the inner lug of the plate 19. The characteristic idea of this arrangement is that the distributing-wires IV may be led from one terminal directly into the frame, then turn substantially at a right angle to the vertical channel or fall, and after passing through that turn again at a similar angle into and through the horizontal run to a point behind the complementary terminal desired, and then outward to the said terminal. By this arrangement the open spaces will be occupied only by wires running in substantially direct lines, and not in diagonal lines, and therefore the said open spaces will admit of being utilized to their fullest extent, and will remain open until filled with wires.

The openings are made large enough to admit of the insertion of the hand and arm of a workm an at any point desired and at any time until a n y particular space becomes more than half filled with distributing wires, and any particular wire or pair of wires may readily be reached by hand and drawn out and a new pair as readily drawn in.

In an open-work frame actually constructed on the principles indicated herein the height of the frame is eight feet and the extreme width about twenty-eight inches; but the di-;

mensions will of course be proportionate to the magnitude of the telephone-exchange. If the frame be disproportionately high, the fall must be larger than the run. It disproportionately low, the run is preferably the larger.

Having now described c1aim- 1. In combination with a telephone switchboard and with main-line cables leading into the central station, a distributing-frame interposed between the cable-heads and the said switch-board, provided with terminal connections on one side for the line conductors and with similar terminal connections on the other side for the switch-board conductors, and with vertical. and horizontal channels in the intcrior 0:- said frame, through which intermediate conductors uniting the line and switchboard connections may be drawn, whereby the said conductors can be readily drawn in my invention, I

or out without disarrangement of any others,-

substantially as and for the scribed.

22. A distributingdframe for telephone-ex.- changes, formed of metallic pipes or bars purposes dcbuilt into an open-work structure, as described, provided with two sets of terminal connections, one set on each side for the line and switch-board conductors, respectively, and with vertical and horizontal channels through the interior of said open-wo1'k,tl1e Vertical channels being on the line side and the horizontal channels 011 the switchboard side of said structure, through which intermediate conductors may be drawn'to unite the terminal connect-ions of the two sets, substantially as described.

3. In a telephone-exchange, a distributingframe interposed between the main-line terminals and the switch-board for the purpose of readily distributing the main lines to any desired portion of the switch -board, said frame being formed of metallic pipes or bars built into a skeleton structure, as described, having two sets of terminal connections, one set on each side, to which the line and switch board conductors are respectively secured, and with vertical and horizontal channels or runways leading through the interior, the vertical channels being on the line side and the horizontal channels on the switch-board side of said structure,combined with intermediate conductors extending through the interior of the said frame, the said conductors being drawn inwardly from the line connection through a vertical channel to thelcvel of the desiredswitch-board connection, then through a horizontal channel to a point behind the desired switch-board connection, and finally outward to said connection, whereby the said line and switch-board connections may be united, in the manner and for the purposes specified.

4. A distributing-frame for connecting the several line-wires of a telephone-exchange to any desired switch-board connection, having a central series comprising vertical, longitudinally-horizontal, and transversely-horizontal pipes or bars intersecting each other, as shown and described, the vertical pipes determining the height, thehorizontal pipes the length, and the transverse pipes the extreme width of the frame, a second series of horizcfiital pipes extending from end to end of the frame on the line side thereof,-each intersecting all the central transverse pipes of the same plane and forming therewith and with the central series a series of vertical openwork channels wherein wires may be run, .a second series of vertical pipes of suitable length on the switch-boardside of said frame, each intersecting the several transverse pipes of the same vertical plane and forming therewith and with the central series a series of horizontal channels also for the reception of wires, the pipes of bothof the said secondseries serving also as direction-changing stanehions for the said wires, the whole forming an open-work or skeleton structure, and aseries of vertical non-conducting connectionstrips attached to the ends of each series of transverse pipes in the same vertical plane IIO on both sides of the frame and carrying con-n neetions, each connection on one' side being adapted for a line conductor and each on the" other side for a switch-hoard conductor, the

corresponding connections being also'unite'd with each other by intermediate conductors A passing through the interiorof the structure,

substantially as described.

5. ,A distributing frame or -board for 'tele said two series of connections, throughwhicn .15

intermediate conductors may readily; be drawn to connect .theSeveral conductors of one series with any desired'conductor of the f other series, substantiaily'as described.

vIn testimony whereof .1 have signed my 20 name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses, this 24th day of February,"1 891.

ANGU s. HIBBARDQ Witnesses: THos. 15-. LOCKWQOD, 3

CHARLES DiMJQQLEQ '1"; 

